This year, I was able to go to the New York International Toy Fair for the first time as a representative of the BIONICLE wiki BIONICLEsector01 and its sister site HEROsector01. Together with fellow BS01/HS01 staff member Chols, who took most of the photos, I attended the LEGO Collectors Preview where representatives of LEGO fansites can view and photograph the new sets for an extended two-hour timeframe (our invitations unfortunately did not cover admission to the full three-day Toy Fair event, so externally-produced LEGO products like clocks and watches were not among the things we saw).

Since our sites' normal coverage doesn't extend outside the constraction themes, we reached an agreement with Eurobricks to share with them our coverage of the LEGO Collectors Preview and all the sets and themes on display. Part four of our coverage is the new licensed theme LEGO Super Heroes, which is split up into two separate waves: a January wave featuring DC Universe Super Heroes, and a May wave featuring Marvel Super Heroes. This is a theme that could potentially have a very lengthy lifespan, since like LEGO's first perennial licensed theme, Star Wars, DC and Marvel Super Heroes are a permanent fixture in various media and, perhaps more importantly, on toy store shelves.

The DC Universe Super Heroes were kind enough to greet us as we entered the LEGO booth, and Hulk was in the lobby to bid us farewell

This set is a Toys 'R' Us exclusive in the United States. Normally, these are not displayed at Toy Fair since it is, at its core, a trade show for retailers interested in stocking these products. However, exceptions were made this year for some sets from licensed themes.

Minifigures in this set include Batman (blue suit), Robin, the Joker, Harley Quinn, and the Riddler. The figs on display here are preliminary-- the final minifigures have printed torsos, and the final minifigure of the Riddler has a medium stone grey (Bricklink's Light Bluish Gray) hat with a question mark print rather than an unprinted green hat.

The smallest set of the wave, this set's contents are simple, but it has a decent amount of play value. Besides the catcycle and figs, the set includes a street corner with a newspaper box, a traffic light, and several crates. Minifigures include Batman (blue suit, with a wing pack instead of a cape) and Catwoman.

This is the flagship set of the January wave. There are lots of play features including flick missiles, sliding doors, and a function to "transform" Bruce Wayne into Batman. Also included are a Batcycle and a nice, beefy-looking mole tank. Minifigures include Bruce Wayne, Batman (black suit), Robin, Bane, and Poison Ivy.

I always envisioned Lex Luthor (from my pitiful knowledge of super hero comics) as a villain who doesn't get his hands dirty fighting the good guys, but evidently Lex Luthor fighting in a Kryptonite-powered exo-suit is not unheard of. This power armor is certainly beefy enough for kids to visualize as an even match for two super heroes. Minifigures include Lex Luthor, Superman, and Wonder Woman.

A simplified re-imagining of a set from the 2006 LEGO Batman theme, this set manages to cut down on the massive size of the original 7782, which is a pro for some and a con for others. The chief play features are the Batwing's flick missiles, the helicopter's bomb filled with "Joker Venom", a toxic laughing gas, and the helicopter's spinning rotor. Minifigures include Batman (black suit), the Joker, and one of the Joker's henchmen.

Another reimagining of a 2006 LEGO Batman set, this time 7781. Again the newer Batmobile is smaller than the previous version. The appearance of Two-Face, his truck, and his two henchmen in the character's traditional purple-and-orange color scheme is a point of contention for many LEGO Batman fans. Minifigures include Batman (black suit), Two-Face, two of Two-Face's henchmen, and a police officer.

Additionally, three "constraction" sets from DC Universe were released in the January wave. These are based on the Hero Factory building system and depict the characters wearing enhanced "power armor". I ought to mention that discussion of these sets, other than discussion in response to this Toy Fair coverage, goes in the Eurobricks LEGO Action Figures subforum under the topic Superheroes 2012.

Batman is probably the least robotic-looking of these figures, sticking to parts with smooth contours. Instead of a cape he has two mechanical glider wings. His weapon, a double-bladed Bat-Sword, uses dual-colored parts also featured in different colors in three Hero Factory sets this year. While System fans might see no value in these sets and Hero Factory fans might prefer more authentic depictions of the characters, it can't be forgotten that these are more accurate than many super hero action figures on the market, and inherently have more play value simply by virtue of being made from versatile LEGO bricks!

The Joker set suffers from being a character for whom power armor makes far less sense than the tech-savvy Batman, and from having a much more robotic-looking appearance to boot. But Hero Factory fans appreciate this set for providing parts in the rare color medium lilac (Bricklink's Dark Purple). The people setting up the LEGO booth at Toy Fair certainly had fun with this set, having him train his gun on the Caped Crusader who looks down at him from a higher display shelf.

Green Lantern is definitely one of the more attractive Super Heroes constraction sets, with lots of parts in the relatively rare but increasingly prominent color Bright Green. He also has a nicely-designed "morning star" light construct. All the Super Heroes constraction sets include a new "friction joint" that adds one module of length to any Hero Factory joint but makes the connection much sturdier, allowing for a figure to remain steady in a wider range of poses.

Five playsets from the Marvel Super Heroes wave, due for a May release in the United States, were on display:

The Avengers sets at Toy Fair kept the new enemies for the film under wraps, but we have recently obtained high-res pics that reveal the sets in their entirety. I don't know if there will be a motorcycle in the film that resembles this one, and Google image searches for "Captain America's Motorcycle" tend to display more old-school motorcycle designs, but this design is still cool with its dark red shell and stickers displaying the insignias of Captain America and S.H.I.E.L.D.

This set includes three minifigures: Captain America and two alien footsoldiers.

This set's design is unusual and I'd appreciate a Marvel aficionado explaining if the chopper is based on an iconic vehicle or scene. As it is, while the helicopter design is nice and chunky, with obligatory flick-fire missiles (on adjustable-angle side turrets) and a cool bike for Wolverine, the real stars of this set are its three minifigures: Wolverine, Magneto, and Deadpool.

This was the most finalized of the Marvel playsets at Toy Fair, perhaps because since it is not based on the film The Avengers TLG didn't have anything to hide.

My poor knowledge of the upcoming Avengers film keeps me from judging this set based on accuracy. However, the S.H.I.E.L.D. truck uses SNOT techniques for a wonderfully chunky aesthetic (if you can't tell by now I like chunky LEGO vehicles-- the Agents theme was a favorite of mine).

Minifigures in this set include Iron Man, Hawkeye, and Loki. The minifigures here are all preliminary, but based on the finalized images we've seen, they are all well-designed. Loki's staff is made of a sai from Ninjago and a staff from Pharaoh's Quest, which together form a unique and cohesive-looking weapon that truly matches his aesthetic and approximates the staff he wields in the recent movie Thor.

The Helicarrier is a massive setting on par with the Batcave, so TLG can be forgiven for here interpreting it as a setting rather than as a vehicle. The main structure has wonderful symmetry, with a prison cell for Loki as the centerpiece. A button above the cell causes the front to pop open. Computer screens have various displays, including a technical diagram of Loki's staff and a computer game that resembles Space Invaders. The jet included is very sleek-looking and well-armed with flick missiles.

This is the flagship set for the Marvel wave. This strongly resembles other Quinjet toys being released to tie in with the Avengers film, although most other Quinjet toys feature yellow trim and Avengers branding rather than blue trim and S.H.I.E.L.D. branding. It's possible that this set is inspired by an earlier scene from the movie than other Quinjet toys coming out this year. Features include an opening cockpit, opening rear hatch, deployable drone, adjustable-angle wings, and flick-fire missiles.

Additionally, three "constraction" sets based on Marvel's The Avengers are due for release in May. As with the DC Universe constraction sets, these depict the heroes in "power armor".

4529 Iron Man

44 pieces

USD 14.99

CAD 17.99

Iron Man is the character who looks most natural in high-texture "power armor", since he officially wears power armor of a sort anyway . Hero Factory fans will appreciate this set for its many useful bright red and warm gold parts, but it's also an attractive-looking set on its own.

4530 Hulk

39 pieces

USD 14.99

CAD 17.99

Hulk's set has been a disappointment to a lot of people. It uses bright yellowish green for his skin rather than the bright green used for Green Lantern's power armor, which to some people looks inauthentic. And Hulk's power armor is placed sporadically, so he has metallic armor plates primarily on his waist and shoulders. However, it uses an innovative build to create Hulk's bulging physique, and I'm sure LEGO fans of all stripes understand how corners probably had to be cut to keep a character this massive at the same price point as the other Super Heroes constraction sets.

4597 Captain America

44 pieces

USD 14.99

CAD 17.99

The Captain America set is a bit divisive. His color scheme is well-organized, and I couldn't imagine a better shield. But his power armor looks heavy and awkward, not streamlined like Green Lantern's. Still, his design is mostly very authentic, with a costume and gear very much in line with official media depictions.

That wraps it up for the Super Heroes sets displayed at Toy Fair! Next up, we'll be covering the goings-on at Heartlake City with LEGO Friends!

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Isn't this kinda pointless now? Seeing as how the sets are already in stores.

Well, obviously the demand for Toy Fair coverage is waning, but I had started writing the coverage for this theme quite a while ago. Anyway, I had agreed to provide Toy Fair coverage for Eurobricks, so I might as well keep up my end of the bargain. Hopefully if I end up going to next year's Toy Fair I'll be able to keep to a better schedule. Coordinating things with both Eurobricks and my BS01 staff partner Chols who is hosting the photos on his Flickr has been a challenge in and of itself, but I'm certainly not blame-free for the slowness of our coverage.